Bowling ball grip



Mach 2, 194. 5, H, @AKEN A 'Q BOWLING BALL am? Filed .my 12E 194@ 2 swag-shea@ l Jann/A/fen.

.March '23', 1943. J, QN 2,314,811

BOWLING BALL GRIP l FamaA July 12, 1940 2 sheets-sheet 2 KIZ l 3 4.

- wfm i Patented Mar. 23, 1943 BGWLING- BALL GRIP John Henry Akin, Ames, Iowa, assignor of onethird to Allene Akin Dealy, and one-third to George Henry Akin, Ames, Iowa Application July 12, 1940, Serial No. 345,213

4 Claims. (Cl. 33-174) This invention relates to bowling balls and more particularly to an improved bowling ball grip.

It is well known that the forming of the grip in a bowling ball has always been more or less guess-Work and that bowlers are continually complaining about bowling ball grips not litting their hands.

One of the principal objects of the invention, therefore, is to provide a bowling ball grip which may be adjusted to t the individual hand of the bowler, so that measurements of said individual hand may be recorded for subsequent use by a manufacturer to enable the manufacturer to produce a bowling ball having a grip formed according to the measurements.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bowling ball grip which may be quickly adjusted to the bowlers satisfaction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character employing means for indicating exact hand measurements so that a bowler will be able to adjust the grip preliminary to gripping the ball.

And still another object of the invention is to provide a bowling ball grip wherein the measurements may be taken with the full weight of the ball on the hand.

And a further object of the invention is to provide a bowling ball grip wherein the mechanism employed may be positioned in such a manner as not to interfere with the spherical surface oi a bowling ball.

Another object of the invention is to provide a grip of the type mentioned hereinabove wherein both of the linger stalls and the thumb stall are adjustable.

Other objects of the invention, not particularly mentioned hereinbefore, will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a bowling ball equipped with my improved grip,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows,

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional View on the line 4 4 of AFigure 1,

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional View on the line 5 5 of Figure 4, and

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view showing a card on which grip measurements may be recorded for future use.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals of reference will be seen to designate similar parts throughout the'various views, the numeral I indicates a bowling ball. The bowling ball I is formed with a recess 2 which is substantially rectangular in contour and which communicates with the outer surface of the ball throughout a relatively small area on its circumference. A relatively shallow recess 3 is formed on the surface of the ball and communicates with the recess 2, said recess 3 cooperating with the surface of the ball to define a shoulder 4. As shown in Figure 1, the shoulder is of irregular contour so that the frame, to be describedhereinafter, will be effectively anchored against shifting movement. 1

As is well known, the ordinary bowling ball is provided with a plurality of linger stalls and a thumb stall. These stalls are arranged for receiving the thumb vand first and second fingers of the hand of the bowler. These finger stalls would normally be located within the area of the recess 2 but, in the present invention, will be supplanted by mechanism now to be described in more detail. The numeral 5 indicates in general the grip mechanism. y The grip mechanism 5 includes a frame B, said frame having a curved body plate 'I on which are mounted the finger stalls and associated parts to be referred to hereinafter. The body plate l is shaped with irregular edges -to t within the relatively shallow recess 3 and has said irregular edges in engagement with the shoulder 4,k

dened by the junction of the edges of `the recess 3 with the surface of the ball l. It is particularly pointed out that the body lplate has its f surface of the same curvature as the face of the ball l lso that there will be absolutely no interference with the rolling of the ball. It is also desired to mention -that the grip mechanism is of such weight that it will not upset the balance of the ball I.

The body plate l lis formed wit-h a thumb stall opening 8 which is of oblong shape and which extends llongitudinally of the frame near one end thereof. Struck down from the thumb `stall opening, at the opposite sides thereof, are stall mounting plates 9 and l0 disposed in parallel spaced relation. As seen in Figure 4, the plate 9 is relatively jlong, whereas vthe `plate I0 is relativelyshort, this being due to the curvature of lthe body plate l. As will be seen, the Vplates 9 along vthe length ,mediate offset portion and an upper portion which upper portion 2 and I have their lower ends disposed in the same horizontal plane. Formed in the plates 9 and I0 are oppositely disposed and alined longitudinally slots II and I2. Shiftably mounted within the thumb stall opening between the mounting plates 9 and I6 is a thumb stall I3. The thumb stall I3 is movably mounted within the recess by means of pins I4 and I5 which extend from the upper end of said stall, in alined relation, intov the slots II and I2. It will now be seen that the thumb stall may be shifted within the recess and between the plates 9 and I0 the distance of the slots II and I2. In order to anchor the thumb stall I3 in a set'adjusted position, I employ adjusting screws I6 and VI1` which screws extend into an opening I8 whichV Y leads from the outer surface of the ball to theA recess 2. being but of suicient width to receive thenscrews- I6 and I1. Nuts I9 and 20 are, as best seen in dotted lines in Figure 4, embedded in the walls dening the opening I8v and are disposed in .vertical spaced relation in said opening gear its inner extremity. The nuts rotatably receive the screws I6 and I1, which screws have their vouter ends squared, as shown at 2l, to receive a turning key and their corresponding inner ends vpivotally connected to the stall I3 at vertically 'spaced points along the length of said stall. It

l, will be seen that, by rotating both of the screws I6 and I1, the stall I3 may be shifted lengthwise of the frame between the plates 9 and Ill. Also by rotating one screw or the other, the stallrmay be tilted from the absolute vertical to a position for comfortably receivingY the thumb of a hand. c

. VAFormed in the body plate 'I in parallel spaced relation tothe thumb stall opening 8 is an indicator slot 22. The slot is located somewhat nearer the end edge of the body plate 1 than is the thumb stall opening. Mounted on the surface ofthe body plate adjacent the inner edge of the indicator s lot 22 is an indicator scale 23, said, scale extending throughout the lengthof `said slot andbeing laid off with suitable graduations.l An indicator slot 24 is formed in the body plate 1 near the opposite Aend thereof and in a plane parallel with the plane `of the indicator A.s lot, 22;.VV An indicator scale 25 is mounted adja- -cent the outer edge of the slot 24 and extends throughout its .indicator scale tions.

length. Like the scale 23, the 25 is laid off with suitable gradua- Referring `particularly to Figure 5 of the drawings, it will be seen that the thumb still I3 is provided with a lever 26 which extends vertically of said stall and has an interis parallel to the face of the stall in spaced relation thereto. For the sake of convenience, the is indicated at 21. A link 28 is connected, by means of a .pin 29, to the upper portion 21, said link also being connected with the pin I5. The opposite end of the link 28 is pivotally connected to a pointer 30 which is mov- Aably lmounted in the indicator slot 24. `A link al Vhas, one end connected to the upper portion 21 and to the pin I5 and its opposite end pivotally The opening I8 is relatively narrow,

Vof the plate 1.

I6 and I1 are rotated, for tilting the thumb stall from the vertical, such tilting movement will be indicated on the scale 25.

Also mounted within the recess are finger stalls 33 and 34, the finger stall 33 normally receiving the foreflnger of the hand and the finger stall 34 normally receiving the next adjacent finger. The finger stalls 33 and 34 are, respectively, mounted in openings 35 and 36 which are formed in the body plate 1, in parallel spaced relation to each other, at the opposite end thereof from the opening 8. Flanges 31 extend downwardly from `the openings 35 and 36, and extending through theflanges and into opposite points on the wall of each of the finger stalls are pivot pins 38, said pins mounting the stalls for swinging movement within the openings 35 and 36. As clearly shown in-Figures l and 2 of the drawings, relatively narrow openings 39 and 40 are formed in the body I and lead from the exterior surface of said body to the interior of the recess 2. The openings 39 and 40 are in parallel spaced relation to each other, and like the opening I8, are relatively narrow.

In the walls of each of the openings 33 and 40 is mounted a nut 4I. Screwed through'each of the nuts 4I is an adjusting screw 42, said adjustiner screws being similar to the adjusting screws I6 and I1. The adjusting screws have squared outer ends 43, for receiving a turning key, and corresponding inner ends which are pivotally connected to corresponding points on the walls Vof the finger stalls 33 and 34, near the lower ends of said walls. It will now be understood that rotation of the adjusting screws 42 will cause the finger stalls to swing about the pins 38, said stalls thus being adjustable for permitting convenient reception of the foreiinger and the next adjacent finger. v

Formed in the body plate 1 at the opposite side of the thumb stall opening 8 from that having nthe slots 22 and 24 therein is a double indicator slot 44, said slot extending through the length of the mid-portion of the plate. Mounted adjacent one edge of the slot 44 and extending from one end thereof throughout substantially three-fourths Vther length of the slot is a scale 45. A scale 46 extends from the opposite'end of the slot, adjacent the opposite edge thereof' throughout substantially three-fourths the length of said slot. Both vof the scales 45 and 46 are, like the scales 23 and 25, laid off with suitable graduations. Slidably mounted in the slot 44 are pointers 41 and 48, the pointer 41 cooperating with the scale 45 and the pointer 48 cooperating with the scale 46, said pointers being independently movable within the slot. Attention is directed to the fact that,'as seen in Figure 4, the exposed ends of the pointers 41 and 48 and also the pointers 30 and 32 are located in recesses 48a which are formed in the face Due to this construction, the pointers will not project past the surface of the plate and said surface will, therefore, be uninterrupted. rIhe pointer 41 is pivotally connected to the finger stall 33 by means of a link 49 while the pointer 48 is pivotally connected with the finger stall 34 by means of a link 50. As seen clearly in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, the links 49 and 56 are connected, respectively,'to the finger stalls 33 and 34 near their 4corresponding lower ends. It will now be understood that, whenwthe screws 42 are rotated for shifting the finger stalls, said shifting movement will be indicated on the scales 45 and 46 by the'pointers 41 and 48, respectively. Y

It is `believed that the construction and operation of my improved bowling ball grip will be understood from the foregoing. However, a brief further discussion on the subjectI is not thought to be out of place.

When a bowler desires to have a bowling ball, formed with a grip to suit his individual hand, manufactured, he iirst inserts his thumb and iingers in their proper stalls beneath the lbody plate I of my device. The bowler then lifts the ball and, assuming that the preliminary grip adjustment does not suit him, rotates the adjusting screws :for positioning the finger and thumb stalls to provide the most comfortable grip. As stated hereinbefore, the position of the finger stalls and thumb stall is indicated on the scales so that the bowler may record the positions of the stalls upon a card of the type shown in Figure 6. He can take this card to a manufacturer who will be able to produce a bowling ball having a grip formed according to instructions on the card. It will, of course, be -understood that the manufacturer will have one of my devices so that he willbe enabled to position the thumb stall :and linger stalls in accordance with indications on the card and, with this as a guide, form a bowling ball with the desired grip.

It is a lparticularly noteworthy feature of this invention that the stalls may be adjusted when the ball is being held in the hand of a bowler. The full weight of the ball will have .no effect on the adjustment. Also, the span between the thumb and finger may be adjusted to a very fine degree of accuracy and the adjustment may be made in a very short space of time.

It is believed that further discussion is unnecessary.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a bowling ball grip, a frame including a body plate having a thumb stall opening, mounting plates depending from the frame adjacent the opening, said mounting plates having slots, a thumb stall mounted in the opening, pins engageable in the slots and connected with the thumb stall and being operable for slidably.

mounting the thumb stall within the opening, said pins also providing pivotal mounting for the thumb stall within the opening, means for adjusting the thumb stall longitudinally within the opening, and means lfor adjusting the tilting of the thumb stall within the opening.

2. The combination with a bowling -ball having a recess, and a relatively shallow recess communicating with the first-mentioned recess, abowling ball grip mechanism having a 'frame including a body plate, said body plate having openings tting within the second-mentioned recess, a thumb stall slidably mounted in one of said openings nger stalls pivotally mounted in the other of said openings, said stalls extending into the firstmentioned recess, means operatively connected -With the thumb stall for slidably adjusting said thumb stall within its opening, means operatively connected with each nger stall for tilting said linger stalls on their pivotal axes, and means `for indicatlng the adjusted positions of said thumb and finger stalls.

3. In combination with a bowling ball having a recess, a bowling lball grip including a body plate having a thumb stall opening and linger stall openings, mounting plates adjacent the thumb stall opening, a thumb stall mounted between the mounting plates, means mounting the thumb stall for longitudinal and swinging movement between the plates, an opening communicating between the recess and the outer surface of the ball, adjusting screws extending through the opening and having inner end portions connected with the thumb stall, one of said screws bein-g rotatable for changing the position of the stall longitudinally within the recess and the other of said thumb screws being openable for tilting the thumb stall, linger stalls in the finger stall openings, means for mounting said finger stalls for swinging movement in said openings, openings lcommunicating between the recess and the exterior of the ball, adjusting screws extending through said openings and having correspondmg inner ends connected with the linger stalls, said last-mentioned screws being rotatable for tilting the iinger stalls, Iand means for indicating the positions of said thumb stall and iingel stalls.

4. In a bowling ball grip mechanism, a body plate, a thumb stall slidably mounted on the plate, .finger stalls pivotally mounted on the plate, adjusting devices operatively connected with the thumb and finger stalls respectively for adjusting said stalls whereby the stalls will be permitted to assume the position of greatest comfort for the hand of a bowler, indicator slots formed in the body plate, pointers in the slots, scales on the plate to cooperate with the pointers, and a link connecting each of the pointers with one of the stalls, said pointers cooperating with the scales for 1ndicating the positions of the stalls.

JOHN HENRY AKIN. 

